Folding basket for market carriers



Feb, 7, 1950 G. w. coNKLIN 2,496,778

FOLDING BASKET RoR MARKET CARRIERS Filed Nov. s, 194e i ATT RNEYINVENTOR dfgf [ifo/ME W. 0 L/N Patented Feb. 7, 195o 2,496,778

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l 2,496,778v FOLDING BASKET roR MARKETCARRIERS l George W. Concklin, Suffern, N. Y., assigner to JohnChatillon-die Sons, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication November 8, 1946, Serial No. 708,487

The invention relates to folding baskets for market carriers or wheeledcarts such as are commonly employed nowadays in chain Agrocery stores,so-called super-markets and other selfservice stores. It is particularlyapplicable for 5 extending element comprises the inwardly exuse inconjunction with market carriers which tending vertical marginal flangesII. An imporcan be folded so as to occupya minimum space tant feature ofthe construction resides in formwhen not in use. ing each of the sidemembers I0 with inwardly In stores which provide carrier carts for theoffset fiattened ends I3 adjacent its pivots I2 so convenience ofcustomers in assembling and l0 that when the end members 8 are foldeddown carrying their purchases to the wrapping counter into the collapsedposition, as shown in Fig. 3, or cashiers station, it is customary tokeep the the inwardly offset ends can be brought into carriers withempty baskets near the store enoverlapping relationship with theadjacent side trance where the customer takes one upon armembers.Another important feature of this rival and wheels it around like a babybuggy. construction resides in arranging the points I2 The emptycarriers and baskets take up conof pivotal attachment in a line whichmakes an siderable space, frequently getting in the way of acute anglewith the adjacent end of the basket customers as they'arrive andhampering trade (angle 1 -Figs. 1 and 3). When the basket is at nearbycounters through obstruction of the collapsed by folding its ends downin the direcaisles. It is an object of the present invention tion of thearrow b (Fig. 1), this arrangement to alleviate this difficulty byproviding an imof the pivots in combination with the flattened provedform of folding basket which is especially ends I3 of the side rods II)makes it possible to adapted for use in conjunction with folding cartsbring these rods into the closely nested position and which, in itscollapsed condition, will occupy v shown in Fig. Bin which they occupyno more a minimum space. M space than the width of the flanges I I ofthe end It is also a particular object of my invention members or thanthe thickness of the anges to provide a collapsible basket, the severalsec- I4 associated with the bottom of the basket. tions of the sides ofwhich can be brought into If desired, the bottom I may be perforatepartially overlapping relationship when the as indicated in thedrawings, or it can be made basket is collapsed so that it will occupyonly a of expanded metal or of a solid metal sheet. In small fraction ofthe space required for the open the construction illustrated, the bottomI is basket. I am aware that collapsible baskets carried by a framehaving the vertical flanges have been made heretofore, but it has beenan I4 around its periphery with an inwardly and object of my inventionto provide an improved downwardly extending portion I5 terminatingconstruction which will fold flatter and which in the inwardlyprojecting anges IS on which is generally more simple and compact thanany the bottom I rests or is secured. Brackets I1 basket which has beendevised before. and I8 fixed to the flanges I4 have offset exten- Theseand other objects and advantages of my sions for the hinged or pivotalattachment of invention will appear more fully as the descripthe ends 8as by means of the rivets or bolts 9. tion proceeds. The ends 8 andinwardly extending flanges II In the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate apremay, if desired, be formed from a single sheet af ferred embodimentof my invention, Fig. 1 showmetal, the upper edge of which can beflanged ing the basket in side elevation, Fig. 2 being a or beaded asiat I9. Hinge point S for the transverse sectional view taken asindicated at right-hand end preferably is offset as shown in 2-2 in Fig.1, and Fig. 3 being a detail cross- Fig." 1, being located near the baseof anges sectional view showing to an enlarged scale the II, whereasthat for the left-hand end is located right-hand end of Fig. 1 with thebasket colnear the top of these flanges as also shown in this lapsed.view.

The basket in its general arrangement com- The terms and expressionswhich I have emprises a bottom 1, end members 8 hingedly ployed are usedin a descriptive and not a limmounted in association with the bottom asat 9 iting sense, and I have no intention of excludand a series of sidemembers I0 arranged in ing such equivalents of the invention described,spaced parallel relationship along the sides of or of portions thereof,as fall within the purview of the claims.

the basket and pivotally secured individually at 2- Claims. (Cl.220.--6)

each end, as by the rivets I2, to a longitudinally extending elementassociated with the end members. In the construction specificallyillustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive this longitudinally I claim:

1. A folding basket for market carriers comprising a bottom, end formingmembers hinged to the bottom, each of said end forming members havinginwardly extending vertical marginal flanges, and a series of spacedparallel horizontal side forming members on each side of the basket,each of the side forming membersA having its ends pivotally attached tosaid flanges, the points of pivotal attachment being arranged in twoparallel lines on each side of the basket, each of which lines makes anacutel angle with its adjacent end of the basket.

2. A folding basket for market carriers comprising a bottom, end formingmembers hinged to 15 the bottom, each of said end forming members havinginwardly extending, vertical. .marginal anges, and a series of spacedparallel horizontal side forming members on each side of the basket,each of said side forming members having inwardly oset flattened endspivotaflly attached to said anges, the points of pivotal attachmentbeing arranged in two parallel lines each of which makes an acute anglewith its adjacent end of the basket.

GEORGE. W. CONCKLIN.

- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

